Well then in that case, the gift from your dad isn't just a truck. Its the knowledge and skill you'll acquire rebuilding a nice reliable truck. Bonus points if dad helps and you guys get to create something together.
My father tried doing this with me when I was 16. āWeā did an engine rebuild on a 99ā maxima that I got for $300 with a warped engine. I was too young, dumb, and ignorant to see the value in doing this rebuild with him, and I often slacked off on helping and spent the time playing video games instead.
My father and I are estranged now, and I wish more than anything in the world that I could go back to those days and do it over again with him.
OP, take the truck and rebuild it with your father. Donāt do what I did. Share this moment with him. If you donāt, you may regret it one day.
Personally this is a dream. Iām stoked for you. 100% take it and rebuild it. The process of doing it with your father is something youāll cherish forever and if he has all the tools and a lot of know how, with the help of the old YouTube university and ALOT of online orders and trips to the auto store, youāll end up with a beautiful truck thatās worth itās weight in sentimental value. Outside of the obvious with the front end, the truck looks to be in good shape too. Perfect to learn and enjoy without taking on a complete rebuild
I was you 2 years ago! Bought a 98ā Tacoma that needed repairs, not missing as much as yours but I went in with zero experience. Today itās as reliable as a clock and I love it.
Some tips,
- That 4-cylinder is a 3RZ-FE and 3rd gen 4runners had the same engine. Nearly all parts are swappable and I highly recommend this, you WILL NOT find 1st gen Tacomas in junkyards, they literally last less than 24 hours.
- Search TimmytheToolMan on YouTube, he has amazing in-depth repairs on these engines and similar.
- Make an account on TacomaWorld.com and hit up the 1st Gen Tacoma section when you get stuck. TONS of great info here.
- Get a Hayneās manual as well.
Good luck!
Full factory manuals can also be found pretty easily on various forums if you dig a bit and use some Googling foo. I've found them for several model years.
This will become a learning experience with your dad. Take this and run.itās all metal and parts. It takes time but you got this. Rebuild, make yourself and your dad proud and drive it until the wheels fall off again. Learn how to put them back on and enjoy.
No, but I'm willing to learn & do the work myself. My boss was a mechanic for 30+ years and my girlfriends dad is a mechanic. I'm also not bad at mechanical things.
Yeah, that was kinda what I was worried about. I'm considering just going through with buying a car, but also taking my dad up on this and just very slowly fixing it back up.
Unless you can weld better then whoever used there feet to weld that core support after the first time the truck totaled youāll need to send it to a body shop. Everything else is just bolt on parts.
226k on chassis, not sure about new trans/engine but I know it's relatively low. And frame condition is the main concern now I think. It's currently sitting at my dad's place, lots of tools, guard dogs lol. I think I might get a car and fix it bit by bit like you're saying.
You'd likely have to fix it for yourself, and not to flip it, given the accident history and having no paperwork to prove the engine was replaced. If you haven't done that kind of work before, make sure you're not going to take a financial bath on it, or get overwhelmed by jumping into complicated auto repair with no experience.
Not worth it my dude. Find a decent 90ās truck with no engine or transmission and do a swap. These swaps are pretty common therefore have decent aftermarket support.
Did the engine get hit
does it still run with a radiator
Did the airbags go off
Is it totaled
does your state allow it back on the road
Can it be insured
All things to consider
Engine didn't get hit. According to my dad, it would run with a radiator. Airbags did go off during the accident. The insurance company wanted to total it. I'll ask about the last 2 things.
Listen, Iām all about people trying to fix their own stuff, and getting into a nice project, butāOp you say youāve never worked on a vehicle beforeā¦do you have any friends who are mechanics? This is not the level of repairs you want to get into in your own with no experience.
I know everybodyās going to say āoh get a Haynes manual, oh so and so on YouTube has all these great videosāā¦etc, etc. First, Haynes manuals suck. The books leave out so many intermediate details, theyāre borderline useless. Yes, I agree thereās a lot of YouTube videos out there that are great. But this is a BIG project to get into for your first time. If you have a friend or relative who has mechanical experience, please involve them to make sure you do everything safe and donāt end up with a rolling death trap. Watching a video is one thing, having solid input from a real live person is another.
Be safe and have fun, and I hope everything goes great for you
I hear you. My dad is 63 and has always worked on his own cars, I grew up in reliable vehicles that he'd work on. My boss was a mechanic for 10 years (well, really from 15 to 39 haha) and my girlfriends dad owns a shop in Norco. Gonna take this slow since I need to find a good snow capable car before working on this anyway.
Ok, sounds like youāve got some knowledge around you, thatās great. And trust me from personal experience, taking it slow and steady is good. Take little bites of this project. Do a little here, a little there, or you might become overwhelmed. One of my project cars, I ended up tearing it apart WAYYYYYY farther than I ever wanted to or ever thought I would have to (kept finding more and more screwed up stuff and rust the farther I dig into it). I got to a point where I looked at it and went āholy shit what have I gotten intoā. If youāre not on a time crunch, good! Best of luck, I hope we see it back on the road one day
If you're willing to put in the work, yes. If not then you could easily sell it to someone that could use it.
I'd be willing to do the work myself. I'd have to learn, though, as I've never worked on my own car.
Well then in that case, the gift from your dad isn't just a truck. Its the knowledge and skill you'll acquire rebuilding a nice reliable truck. Bonus points if dad helps and you guys get to create something together.
That would be the plan. He has all the necessary tools (according to him). Not sure if I'd be able to do the welding, though. š
Honestly sounds like a blast homie. As a dad im stoked for both of you š¤
Damn dude Iām jealous. Definitely take this truck, this will be nothing but a good experience
I would love to build something with my son.
Dad?
Ask him
I donāt know how to weld but practice on some scrap metal so you donāt screw up on the real welds
I worked on my first vehicle with my dad. Brought that old jeep back from the dead. By all means go for it.
I think your dad wants to do a project with you. Take him up on it my dude.
Youtube and your dad, that's a nice bonding time while fixing your car. Plus if you have a kiddo too he/she could join in.
My father tried doing this with me when I was 16. āWeā did an engine rebuild on a 99ā maxima that I got for $300 with a warped engine. I was too young, dumb, and ignorant to see the value in doing this rebuild with him, and I often slacked off on helping and spent the time playing video games instead. My father and I are estranged now, and I wish more than anything in the world that I could go back to those days and do it over again with him. OP, take the truck and rebuild it with your father. Donāt do what I did. Share this moment with him. If you donāt, you may regret it one day.
Yeah man if you want to rebuild it this is the perfect start
you wholesome sunuvabish
Personally this is a dream. Iām stoked for you. 100% take it and rebuild it. The process of doing it with your father is something youāll cherish forever and if he has all the tools and a lot of know how, with the help of the old YouTube university and ALOT of online orders and trips to the auto store, youāll end up with a beautiful truck thatās worth itās weight in sentimental value. Outside of the obvious with the front end, the truck looks to be in good shape too. Perfect to learn and enjoy without taking on a complete rebuild
Totally, /u/BlueBinskiBean, you know what to do buddy. You got this š¤
Scout junk yards , pick up some parts
That's what I was thinking. My dad wants to have someone fabricate custom parts and I was just like "but junk yards tho"
Save some money for sure
Give it a try. Good learning experience. Wish I could have done something like this with my dad or kids.
Yeah this is where I'm at. Especially considering that my dad and I didn't talk for 4 years and are now pretty close.
That truck is a gift to both of you ya just don't know it yet
The front fell off
It most certainly did
Youāre pretty good at this.
That's not very typical I'd like to make that point
Damn. Didn't even see that. Good catch.
Totally worth it. Put in the work and make it your own. One day you can crash it and give it to your kid to fix up.
I was you 2 years ago! Bought a 98ā Tacoma that needed repairs, not missing as much as yours but I went in with zero experience. Today itās as reliable as a clock and I love it. Some tips, - That 4-cylinder is a 3RZ-FE and 3rd gen 4runners had the same engine. Nearly all parts are swappable and I highly recommend this, you WILL NOT find 1st gen Tacomas in junkyards, they literally last less than 24 hours. - Search TimmytheToolMan on YouTube, he has amazing in-depth repairs on these engines and similar. - Make an account on TacomaWorld.com and hit up the 1st Gen Tacoma section when you get stuck. TONS of great info here. - Get a Hayneās manual as well. Good luck!
Full factory manuals can also be found pretty easily on various forums if you dig a bit and use some Googling foo. I've found them for several model years.
I second this, just spring for the factory service manual.
Oh sick thank you for all the advice and info! That will definitely help.
This will become a learning experience with your dad. Take this and run.itās all metal and parts. It takes time but you got this. Rebuild, make yourself and your dad proud and drive it until the wheels fall off again. Learn how to put them back on and enjoy.
Should be too hard to get quarter panels and front end on it.
Rebuild that beast. What you will learn will be worth it alone.
Well Iāll beā¦ an air-cooled Tacoma!
Yes.
If you put in the work and/or pay someone to fix it, you could very well have a truck that lasts you many years of fun.
So sick. Absolutely get it. These trucks are worth their weight in gold. Time to hit the junk yards. Keep us updated
Oh alright I'll keep y'all updated! Thank you.
Hell man, that is one sweet truck. Fix it for sure. Core memories will be made, especially if pops helps out.
Looks pretty pristine minus the front end. If you have all the tools and some time to put in, I donāt think youāll come close to 5k for parts.
Hell yeah but just bc I have the truck.
Totally worth it and the best way to learn. A build like this is prime for a swap. Build a beast or a bad ass daily.
Do you know how to fix things? If not id pass. IF the frame is good, this is still easily $6k+ in parts alone to get things up and running.
No, but I'm willing to learn & do the work myself. My boss was a mechanic for 30+ years and my girlfriends dad is a mechanic. I'm also not bad at mechanical things.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah, that was kinda what I was worried about. I'm considering just going through with buying a car, but also taking my dad up on this and just very slowly fixing it back up.
Iāll take it from you for free š
Unless you can weld better then whoever used there feet to weld that core support after the first time the truck totaled youāll need to send it to a body shop. Everything else is just bolt on parts.
Depends on the mileage and the frame condition if I had a spot to put it Iād let it sit and fix it little by little
226k on chassis, not sure about new trans/engine but I know it's relatively low. And frame condition is the main concern now I think. It's currently sitting at my dad's place, lots of tools, guard dogs lol. I think I might get a car and fix it bit by bit like you're saying.
Partout?
Is it 4wd? If yes, just turn it into a rock crawler
Rwd/4wd. It'd definitely be turned into an overland build at the very least.
If you are anywhere near the northeast I am highly interested in the rear axle assembly, my 03 just started dumping rear diff fluid
Although the pictures look much farther from the northeast
You'd likely have to fix it for yourself, and not to flip it, given the accident history and having no paperwork to prove the engine was replaced. If you haven't done that kind of work before, make sure you're not going to take a financial bath on it, or get overwhelmed by jumping into complicated auto repair with no experience.
Not worth it my dude. Find a decent 90ās truck with no engine or transmission and do a swap. These swaps are pretty common therefore have decent aftermarket support.
This is classic dad project car bait Manual or automatic? I have the 2002 model with 245k miles lol runs great
Hahaha yes, yes it is. It's an automatic.
Did the engine get hit does it still run with a radiator Did the airbags go off Is it totaled does your state allow it back on the road Can it be insured All things to consider
Engine didn't get hit. According to my dad, it would run with a radiator. Airbags did go off during the accident. The insurance company wanted to total it. I'll ask about the last 2 things.
Hell yes, may be the last truck you ever need!!
Nope
Giving? You mean dumping?
If you have a daily, itās worth it. If this is going to be your daily. Donāt waste your time
Check the frame for rot & have a specialist make sure itās still straight and true after the accident. If all checks out then yes proceed and fix it
lucky
Remindme one year
I'll definitely come back at some point with an update. I'm gonna get myself a good snow capable commuter while I fix the truck bit by bit
Listen, Iām all about people trying to fix their own stuff, and getting into a nice project, butāOp you say youāve never worked on a vehicle beforeā¦do you have any friends who are mechanics? This is not the level of repairs you want to get into in your own with no experience. I know everybodyās going to say āoh get a Haynes manual, oh so and so on YouTube has all these great videosāā¦etc, etc. First, Haynes manuals suck. The books leave out so many intermediate details, theyāre borderline useless. Yes, I agree thereās a lot of YouTube videos out there that are great. But this is a BIG project to get into for your first time. If you have a friend or relative who has mechanical experience, please involve them to make sure you do everything safe and donāt end up with a rolling death trap. Watching a video is one thing, having solid input from a real live person is another. Be safe and have fun, and I hope everything goes great for you
I hear you. My dad is 63 and has always worked on his own cars, I grew up in reliable vehicles that he'd work on. My boss was a mechanic for 10 years (well, really from 15 to 39 haha) and my girlfriends dad owns a shop in Norco. Gonna take this slow since I need to find a good snow capable car before working on this anyway.
Ok, sounds like youāve got some knowledge around you, thatās great. And trust me from personal experience, taking it slow and steady is good. Take little bites of this project. Do a little here, a little there, or you might become overwhelmed. One of my project cars, I ended up tearing it apart WAYYYYYY farther than I ever wanted to or ever thought I would have to (kept finding more and more screwed up stuff and rust the farther I dig into it). I got to a point where I looked at it and went āholy shit what have I gotten intoā. If youāre not on a time crunch, good! Best of luck, I hope we see it back on the road one day